Chapter 1010: Are You Threatening Me?

Everyone was plainly eager to meet Niu Youdao again after being separated from him for so long. They sacrificed much of the day's hunting time and, one group after another, had almost all arrived by around midday.

The moment each group saw Niu Youdao, they immediately asked how things had gone.

Nothing had gone anywhere. Niu Youdao gave everyone the same answer: something must have gone wrong, because he had failed to find Misty Pavilion's people.

The others were speechless. So they had spent all these days running around for nothing. If he insisted he had not found them, what could anyone do?

Qin Guan and Ke Dingjie were secretly nervous.

Afterward, everyone once again tallied their results from hunting Demon Foxes. The harvest was still poor, much the same as before.

Niu Youdao knew perfectly well why. Of course they were not going to achieve much. The moment everyone entered the Desolate Marsh Deadlands, the Demon Fox race had discovered them. The only foxes they managed to kill were scouts careless enough to expose themselves.

When it came time to ask about Niu Youdao's results, he was still empty-handed. The looks people gave him became distinctly strange. So many days had passed, yet he still had not killed a single Demon Fox. Anyone would find that difficult to believe.

Suspicion had taken root among the group, and Chao Jing was the first who could no longer hold back. Unlike some of the others, who might still have roads of retreat, he knew better than anyone whether what Taishu Shancheng had said was true. The matter would never survive verification by Myriad Beasts Sect. He could all but forget returning to the sect.

Nor was joining Misty Pavilion something he could decide for himself. He had produced no achievements, and Niu Youdao had offered no solution. Growing increasingly anxious, Chao Jing finally challenged him in front of everyone. "Niu Youdao, what the hell are you playing at?"

The group went quiet. Every gaze shifted to Niu Youdao. They all had the same question; they simply had not asked it as directly as Chao Jing.

Niu Youdao said, "Elder Chao, I don't understand what you mean. What am I supposed to be playing at?"

"Everyone agreed to follow you because they were counting on you. We even cooperated with you to find those people, yet you dismiss us with one sentence about not finding them. And after all these days, even a blind cat ought to stumble over a dead rat eventually. Yet you're the only one among us who has nothing at all. In your group of three, not one of you has killed a single Demon Fox. Isn't that a little too unusual? Don't you owe everyone an explanation that actually makes sense?"

Niu Youdao answered slowly, "I've been thinking about that myself. I have a guess. Perhaps the problem is these clothes I'm wearing. We didn't see a single Demon Fox along the way."

His clothes? Everyone froze, then looked at one another's clothing. Now that he mentioned it, that actually seemed possible.

Chao Jing tugged at his own robe. "If that's the case, let's exchange clothes and test it. We can see how your hunt goes tomorrow, and I can see whether wearing your clothes really makes it impossible to catch even a glimpse of a Demon Fox."

Niu Youdao replied blandly, "Is that really necessary? My clothes may not fit you."

"It doesn't matter. A little too large or a little too small makes no difference." To everyone's surprise, Chao Jing began undoing his belt in public. He stripped off his red outer robe and tossed it directly at Niu Youdao's feet, watching closely for his reaction.

Niu Youdao narrowed his eyes slightly and stared at him for a moment. At last, he smiled faintly. "Fine. If you want to test it, we'll test it. That way I'll have an explanation for Elder Chao." He planted his sword into the ground, raised his hands to loosen his own clothing, and removed his outer robe before tossing it to Chao Jing.

Chao Jing caught it and slowly put it on in front of everyone. It clearly did not fit very well, but after tugging it into place, he said, "Not bad."

Niu Youdao spread his fingers and drew Chao Jing's robe up from the ground into his hand. He lifted it to his nose and sniffed. "Doesn't smell very good."

"Conditions are limited," Chao Jing said. "This isn't exactly a place where we can wash and change clothes. Elder Niu will have to make do."

"Then I'll do as you ask." Niu Youdao slowly put on the red outer robe.

The exchange between the two men left a weight over the atmosphere. The others kept glancing from one to the other.

Once dressed, Niu Youdao led Qin Guan and Ke Dingjie aside and sat down. A little later, Fuhua and the other three came over and gathered around him, asking what was really going on.

Niu Youdao gave them the same answer as before. The four could only leave, speechless.

After a while, Chao Jing seemed to calm down. Perhaps realizing this was a poor time to offend Niu Youdao, he too came over and sat beside him. He waved a hand, signaling Qin Guan and Ke Dingjie to give them some privacy.

The two looked at Niu Youdao. Only after he gave a slight nod did they withdraw.

Smiling pleasantly, Niu Youdao said, "Elder Chao, was exchanging outer robes not enough? Do you want to trade underclothes as well?"

Chao Jing sighed. "Brother, I didn't mean anything by it. At a time like this, you and I ought to be pulling together in the same boat. But you've been acting so differently from everyone else that I don't feel secure. There are no outsiders here. Why not give me the truth? What exactly are you planning to do?"

"This is Sacred Realm. What solution could I possibly have? Naturally, we'll take things one step at a time."

"That doesn't sound entirely sincere. You made preparations for this tempering while you were still outside. You definitely know more than the rest of us."

"How many times have I answered that question? I've told you it was a misunderstanding. It isn't what you think."

Chao Jing said, "Luo Fangfei escorted you out of Sacred Realm. Why did she escort no one else, only you? How do you explain that?"

"I've already told you I don't know what that was about either. How many times do you want me to repeat it? You can't expect me to invent an explanation out of thin air just to satisfy you."

"Brother, I understand what you're thinking. Maybe you have some difficulty you can't conveniently speak about. But let me remind you of something. If I lose every road out, you won't have an easy time either. You know perfectly well what you've done. We're grasshoppers tied to the same string. If I can't jump free, neither can you."

Niu Youdao's eyes narrowed. "Are you threatening me?"

"I wouldn't dare. Every other person here seems to be one of your sworn brothers. If I truly anger you, you might just join hands with them and get rid of me. But I'd advise you to put that thought away. If you kill me, you'll only prove Taishu Shancheng's accusation was true, and Myriad Beasts Sect won't let you off easily."

"Myriad Beasts Sect can't threaten me."

"You haven't understood what I mean. If returning to the outside world becomes difficult, then we might as well join Misty Pavilion. And if we're going to join Misty Pavilion, you have no reason to kill me, do you? There's something else I should remind you of. Those people might listen to you and join forces against me, but if I found myself in mortal danger, I really can't say what I might tell them. Suppose I accidentally let slip the secret from Butterfly Dream Illusory Realm. If something came out that caught the Sacred Venerables' interest, do you think those people would still dare help you silence me?"

Niu Youdao looked him up and down. For Chao Jing to say such a thing openly meant he was maintaining a high degree of vigilance and would not give Niu Youdao an opportunity to launch a surprise attack.

Niu Youdao also saw that Chao Jing seemed quite confident, apparently believing Niu Youdao could kill him only by borrowing everyone else's strength. Niu Youdao could not help chuckling. "We're all in the same boat. Elder Chao is thinking too much."

"I hope I am. I had no choice but to say all this. Truthfully, I also want to give you some advice. I'm an Elder of a major sect myself. I understand exactly how those great sects think. You joined Zijin Cave halfway through your life. I don't believe for a moment that Zijin Cave truly treats you as one of its own. Why not join Misty Pavilion instead? What's wrong with stepping into a higher level?"

Niu Youdao nodded. "That makes sense."

"Some of what I said was indeed excessive, but Brother, I'm in this position because of you. Think about it. If you hadn't tried to push me into becoming that so-called leader, how would Taishu Shancheng have been provoked into losing his temper? If you hadn't forced him, he couldn't have said something like that without evidence. To a certain extent, you're the one who forced me into having no road of retreat. Shouldn't you bear some responsibility?"

"You mean I should have let Taishu Shancheng call the shots on this trip? You know perfectly well how deep the feud between Qiyun Sect and me runs. Given the slightest opportunity, Taishu Shancheng would never let me go. You know that."

That had indeed been one reason Niu Youdao had contended with Taishu Shancheng at the time. But there was another important reason as well: he could not allow Taishu Shancheng to control his movements. If someone else dictated where he went, there were certain things he would no longer be able to do conveniently.

Chao Jing sighed. "There's no point talking endlessly about what's already happened. We should look forward. I'll test the effect of your clothes first. If the clothes really are the reason, then I misunderstood you, and I'll certainly apologize. If they aren't, I hope Brother can give me an explanation." With that, he raised a hand and patted Niu Youdao on the shoulder, then stood and left.

Niu Youdao smiled as he watched him go, but there was an icy chill in his eyes.

No sooner had Chao Jing left than someone else arrived. Shen Yidu came over and sat directly beside Niu Youdao. After glancing around, he asked in a low voice, "Chao Jing made Brother unhappy, didn't he?"

Niu Youdao said, "Am I really that petty?"

Shen Yidu replied, "Looks like everything Taishu Shancheng said was true."

"You believe Taishu Shancheng's nonsense?"

Shen Yidu chuckled. "The moment Taishu Shancheng said those things, I understood. The reason you asked me to kill Chao Jing had nothing to do with the Song envoy. You're not afraid of a dispute between two states. What you're afraid of is enraging Myriad Beasts Sect and dragging them into that interstate conflict, so you wanted to silence him."

Niu Youdao snorted. He had to admit that Taishu Shancheng's accusation had created far too great an impact. He countered, "Wasn't the Song envoy killed by assassins sent by your Xiaoyue Pavilion?"

Shen Yidu teased, "So do we still kill Chao Jing now?"

Now that Niu Youdao had returned, there were plenty of people around whom he could call upon. Shen Yidu had therefore abandoned any thought of charging in first and fighting Chao Jing to the death himself. If they were going to move again, he certainly would not have Xiaoyue Pavilion take that risk alone. Unless Niu Youdao called on a whole group to act together, Shen Yidu had no intention of moving.

"Don't touch him for now," Niu Youdao said. "Having another pair of hands to hunt Demon Foxes and help build our results isn't a bad thing."

Chao Jing had already made his position explicit. The moment a group surrounded him, he would undoubtedly shout out the secret of Butterfly Dream Illusory Realm in front of everyone. Niu Youdao could not bear the consequences of that.

Shen Yidu smiled. "Then we'll talk about it later?"

Niu Youdao gave a slight nod.

...

At dawn the next day, the group once again advanced according to their arranged plan. As they flew out toward the boundless marshlands, bits of grass and leaves fell from Niu Youdao's body into the swamp below.

After the group disappeared into the distance, a Demon Fox emerged from the mire and darted into the mountain forest. It found a place where scratches had been left on the ground.

The Demon Fox sniffed the spot. It was exactly where Niu Youdao had sat cross-legged through the night. Its paws scraped rapidly at the earth until it dug out a stone. Sensing something unusual about it, the fox immediately picked it up in its mouth and vanished at speed.

[End of Chapter 1010]